This invention relates to a device for applying a needle array to biological tissue.
Needle arrays are often used to administer pharmaceuticals in a manner that is as pain-free as possible for the patient. In this respect, a plurality of individual needles is arranged on the needle array. The needles can be in solid or hollow form. However, in this respect a problem is that, as a needle array penetrates the skin, the so-called “bed of nails” effect occurs. In this respect the skin at the outer needles is stretched, but it rests on the inner needles almost as if on a solid body. As a result, the inner needle tips may not reliably penetrate the skin and administer the pharmaceutical as desired.
It has therefore already been proposed to pre-tension the skin by means of a tensioning geometry before the pharmaceutical is administered by a needle array. Such devices are described, for example, in WO2003/074102 A2 and WO2001/93931 A1.
In the devices therein, the skin is pre-tensioned by means of a pre-tensioning geometry so that the needles of the needle array are better able to penetrate into the skin. However, in this respect it has been found that the application is not uniformly reproducible. The depth of penetration in this respect is in turn dependent on the force with which the person who places the needle array on the skin presses against the application surface on the skin.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to further develop a device for applying a needle array to biological tissue in such a manner that application of the needle array to biological material can take place reproducibly with in each case the same force, so that it is ensured that substantially all the needles of the needle array reach the desired depth of penetration into the biological tissue without, however, exceeding it.
This object is achieved by a device for applying a needle array to biological tissue having features as described herein. Advantageous embodiments of the invention will be found as described in the claims.